Conquer Your Fears

Fear, Seriously?

It’s Halloween again – despite its Pagan origins, I cannot ever remember being really scared at Halloween. We wore sweaty rubber masks back then, Frankenstein, Dracula, a haggish witch, Skeleton, or whatever “the Thing” is supposed to be. No matter how grotesque the getup – we knew it was a puny neighborhood kid beneath – which brings me to this weeks “hang-up”. DEALING WITH FEAR. That very real terror that debilitates you and prevents you from moving forward or anywhere else. Fear in our lives, our business, in sustaining meaningful relationships, can be an extremely powerful emotion. One that FUELS you or FREEZES you.

Fear invariably evokes a “fight or flight” response – surging adrenaline, a frenetic heart beat, shortness of breath, stress, muscle tightness, etc. This fear reaction is needed for self-preservation when your life is at risk. But fear can easily become a hindrance in normal, non-threatening times; blocking you from dealing effectively (sanely) with everyday situations; surrendering your capacity to enjoy life to its fullest. Regular surveys point consistently to nine principle fears among adults (in descending order):

Fear of Flying – statistically the safest from of travel, yet rated #1.Fear of Public Speaking – one of our deepest fears, it’s everybody taking notice of you and listening to you.Fear of Heights – for many, a fear of heights is really a fear of “jumping”.Fear of the Dark – this usually stem from childhood.Fear of Death – not jus the fear of death, but fear of dead things.Fear of Failure – a fear of change, of what other people will think of you.Fear of Rejection – a reason why people don’t make the calls they need to make.Fear of Spiders – pretty much an irrational fear.Fear of Commitment – this affects ALL of us at different stages in our lives.

The facts are – most fears germinate in our minds, rarely manifesting themselves in real life. They’re IMAGINARY – MADE UP, but they are damaging nonetheless. The only way to control your fears is to confront them. In most situations, they will simply disappear, being a figment not a fact. Conquer your fears in your business one by one. Write down what you need to do and cross them off as you complete them. Start small, build confidence and keep working.